Trump: I Gave to Clinton Because ‘I Was a Businessman’

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump defended his donations to the Clintons by saying “I was a businessman” in an interview with CNN on Wednesday.

After Trump said Hillary “has a lot to hide” and “was the worst secretary of state in the history of the United States,” he asked about his donations to her, he answered, “I was a businessman, I guess I still am, but I was a businessman, I was with everybody. Everybody loved me. When I called them, they always treated me well. And that’s part of the game. And that’s part of what’s wrong with this country, because as a businessman, I could have gotten anything from anybody. And that is part of the problem.”

Interviewer Anderson Cooper pressed on Trump’s donations to not only Clinton, but Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi, Trump responded, “I get along with everybody, and that’s part of the problem we have in the country –.”

Cooper then asked, “So, you weren’t giving money based on political beliefs, you were giving money based on currying favor, like many people do?” Trump said, “People love me, and you know what, I’ve been very successful. Everybody loves me.”